Eleven of these amino acids are “nonessential” and are produced in sufficient quantities by your body. The remaining nine are “essential,” meaning they must be acquired through diet since your body doesn’t produce adequate amounts.
Among the essential amino acids are lysine and the branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) leucine, isoleucine, and valine. BCAAs are well-researched and championed nutrients by the fitness community for their role in muscle protein synthesis (MPS)2 and recovery3.
“The building and repair of tissue proteins is termed protein synthesis,” Eric Williamson, Ph.D., RD, a registered dietitian, exercise nutrition expert, and founder of Unlocked Fitness and Nutrition, tells mindbodygreen. “This process allows our body to replace damaged or dysfunctional organ tissues. It’s also important to build muscle proteins in response to exercise for gains in muscle mass, strength, speed, and endurance.”
“As soon as you turn on protein synthesis, then you need all 20 [amino acids],” Don Layman, Ph.D., a leading amino acid researcher at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, previously explained on the mindbodygreen podcast.
